to give dd food before paying for it?

Went to shops today with dcs. Dd was a bit tired and hungry and I wanted to get in and out quickly and home.

She was very hungry and has health issues and needed to eat that minute so I picked something up and let her have it. I have not done this before but couldn't have gone and paid then given it to her and continued shopping as she needed to eat straight away. Usually I have a snack in my bag for her but she had already had that one and I was going to buy more snack bits for her from the shops to replenish the ones I carry for her.

I noticed that a shop assistant was watching us intently and kept seeing her as we went round the shop.

When we got to the till I took the packet off dd for the man to scan and gave it back to her. As we were leaving the member of staff who had been watching approached us with a security guard and asked had we paid for what dd had eaten round the shop. I replied yes we had but she asked to check the receipt which obviously was fine.

She then told me that in future we HAD to pay for food before consuming it. I explained to her that it was a one off as I had run out of snacks I usually carry and dd needed to eat immediately but the security guard said food has to be paid for first.

It wasn't like I do this all the time and tbh as long as the food is paid for does it really matter?

No, it's fine. I'm sure a lot of people will pile in and tell you off, but if you pay for it what on earth could the possible harm be? You're a paying customer, shopping with children is awful and whatever gets you through, really.

I'd probably write quite a shitty letter to them and then take my business elsewhere.

My DC won't let me put a baguette in the trolley without ripping off the end for them to eat around the shop! With young children sometimes it's just easier. I guess if it was a smaller store it might be different?

Every single time I go shopping, the girls get a fruit box at the beginning which they eat whilst I shop, I pay for the empty cartons at the till. I have never had anyone take any notice of it. Also the Cashieres are never surprised so I assumed it happens all the time.

I had an extraordinary situation with a lovely cashier in Tesco today. DD dropped her melon slices on the floor, so I picked them up and put them back in the open pack and then asked cashier to discard them. She said, but it's almost full, do you want a replacement? I said it was my fault so no, not expecting that. She rang her bell and someone got me a new one free. Very impressed.

Many supermarkets know shoppers do this. I think they call it "aisle grazing" or summat like that.

If you give her something like grapes that should be weighed then you really are out of order. If you give her a packet of crisps which is just a packet label scan, then not much harm done.

Two things though:

1) I've done it myself so I ain't claiming to be a saint but...

2) It isn't the right thing to do. You should really pay first - that's the deal with shops and it's fair enough if security pulled you up for it. You were in the wrong - that's the bottom line. So, over all YABU.

As long as its something that doesn't need weighing I can't see the problem .My mum is diabetic and has other health issues and she very often has to have something before we have paid when we are out ( usually a bottle of coke) ,its either that or have her collapsed in an aisle ! In your position I think I would write to head office and explain the circumstances ,stress how embarrassing it was being stopped ,and complain about your treatment .

As you know she has a medical condition, and she was hungry when you went into the shop, you should have quickly bought an item and paid for it and given it to your daughter before starting the full shop.

The shop security would not recognise you, and therefore would not know that this was a one-off occurrence, for all they know this is routine shopping behaviour for you.

I've never seen anyone do this! I must go round the supermarket in a trance.

I think YABU - it would have taken a couple of minutes to pay for it before you gave it to your DC. I don't like the idea of people eating food they've not paid for, although I can't articulate why. It just doesn't sit right with me, although I appreciate I am in a minority.